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Vespitrae
To Add * Biology ** Physiology *** Four Arms *** Wings *** Respiratory System **** System is based on spiracles and a book lung. Vesps cannot hold their breath, and are automatically exposed to any environmental cloud effects. *** Mouthparts **** Following the design of mouthparts of ants and wasps Vespitrae have two sets of mandibles. The first set is are interlocking plates that cover the lower part of their face, one could mistake it for a mask. The outer mandibles are typically held closed unless eating. The inner mandibles are soft and toothless with additional pedipalps serving as olfactory and taste receptors. It is commonly seen as a faux pas to show the second mouthparts. (While they are alien, compared to the standard sophants seeing them eat with their second mouthparts is really gross) (Watched a documentary on wood ants, insect mouths are really freaking weird) **** The outer mandibles are typically painted, sometimes with a stylized mouth fitting their host race. It covers the lower half of their face much like a mask. This also gives the illusion of them talking without moving their lips. *** Eyes **** Vespitrae inherit some of their facial features from their host. Notably the shape of the upper face and eyes. Sentient Vespitrae notably have eyes similar to their hosts, where as drones have black colorless eyes. *** Concept note: Vespitrae are meant to firmly be non-human in appearance but very humane in action. They set up charities, they look out for orphans, they love pets. They are forced to be outsiders because most races do not like them due to their origins. The outer mandible and 'human' eyes are meant to more firmly put them into the uncanny valley in concept. Where if there was artwork, one could see the hints of humanity hidden behind a monstrous visage. *** Vespitrae are the newest to the storm region so they have not solidified a place politically, nor do they have a burning desire to. ** Reproduction *** Hosts **** Vesps reproduce through parisitism. An egg is implanted in a host and it slowly devours the host alive from the inside out. ***** Following the vesp's new found sapience this process was determined to be unsavory, but necessary for their civilization. Most Vesps will purchase slaves or prisoners and groom and pamper them for a year ensuring that the would be host is corpulent. The vesps then lobotomize the host and use them. ***** Medium sized hosts produce between 1 and 3 larva. The fatter the host, the better for the developing grubs. ***** Hosts become pupae a few days after emergence and develop into nymphs. ***** Nymphs resemble their adult forms but have soft white chitin. They darken over the course of three months before molting into their adult form. *** Imprinting **** The grubs imprint upon the host. Gaining insight into their culture. **** This was used previously to allow the species to gain insight into their continually changing lands by absorbing information from local wildlife. ***** This changed when the hive used a sapient creature as a host. The resulting spawn was sapient as well. The rudimentay hive mind that previously governed the drones was replaced by a new caste of sapients. *** Drones **** Drones are created by using non-sapients as hosts. ***** Evil vesps will implant a host with more larva than it can sustain causing the larva to devour eachother until only the strongest emerge. ****** The cannibalism releases a stress hormone that changes the way the vest develops, creating a warrior caste. ****** It is possible to do this with sapient hosts causing a sapient war form. However, the imprint process is impure causing them to gain the favored enemy combat bonuses instead of charisma bonuses. *** Gender: Undetermined. **** Species will either be hermaphroditic or there will be a much smaller male caste. If a female vesperdae is the size of a human the male would be the size of a cat. **** Most insects are sexually dimorphic, it would make sense that an insectoid race would be similar. But you run the risk of this turning into a 'magical realm' **** Alternatively, if Vespitrae follow hive insects more it would make sense that they are a majority female species. Though Vespitrae follow wasp hives as opposed to bees or termites so they do not have a queen. (Although potentially one could be made as a plot devise, perhaps to exploit the hivemind?) **** Wasps however have both genders though in paper wasps males are clearly lower castes. **** It would not make sense that the males would produce the same paralytic venom, nor would they need to be as physically overpowering since they do not lay eggs. **** It would make sense that males would be smaller than females as their sole purpose may only be to spread genetic material or alternatively as fast scouts. ***** Tentative male stats: ***** Size: Tiny ***** Stat mods the same. ***** No paralytic venom instead advanced speed or sight (for scouting) ** Psyche *** Vestigial Hive Mind **** All Vesps have the remnants of their hivemind. It combined with pheromones is how sapients command the drones. **** This hivemind acts as a shortcut into their psyche. Psionics can learn to exploit this feature to command drone and sapient alike. **** This weakness has sown great distrust between most vesps and psionics. ** Pheromones *** All Vesps communicate partly through pheromones. Among their peers pheromone communication can make up the majority of their conversations able to carry a multitude of simple information. **** Information examples: Weather, Wellness, Emotions, *** Complex conversations like debates are typically punctuated with pheromones for emphasis. * Culture and History ** Origin *** Non-sentient hive mind. Using sapient hosts caused them to develop individuality and eventually atrophied the hive mind. *** Uniquely Vesps evolved outside of the great machine and are well suited to the Broken Worlds. They were small somewhat psychic wasps originally but due to lack of sapience and belief the island chains they inhabited ascended into high sky. They are not native to the Storm Region and long ago their host island descended from high sky into it. Time in the high sky is less stable. The Vesps had many eons to evolve into their much larger advanced forms and decending into the Storm Region allowed them to take sentients as hosts. ** Heavy livestock based economy. *** Vulture bees used as labor and psuedo currency **** Vulture bees produce meat honey which is a staple among ships. *** Fungus eating caterpillar esq insects produce honeydew which is used to brew into mead. ** Territory *** Inhabited areas tend to be quite spread out. **** Most colonies tend to be five to one of drones to sentient. **** Outposts consist of 100 drones and a family of 20 or so sentient with large territories. **** Very few Vesp cities. Most prefer to live among or trade with their imprinted race. **** New territory is established by weaving smaller islands into larger ones (reduced risk of fighting over territory) ***** All colonies start with a Vesper Wyrm and when it ends acts as the founding host for the colony's first batch of drones. ** Culture *** Pets **** Pressure from the vestigial hive mind causes Vesps to bond rapidly with pets. *** Government: **** No official government. ***** Most live as communes with a council of elders in charge. ***** A host trader is typically appointed by the council to act as a slave trader / adoption agency. ****** They ensure all hosts are well cared for and that warforms are not being created. ****** They ensure potential hosts are all healthy and are suitable candidates. Vesps feel guilty about their breeding practices already and go to great lengths to ensure their hosts are either willing or convicted of crimes. ****** They also ensure the elders have a constant supply of drones for labor. *** Religion: **** Largely non-existent. Vesperdae largely do not 'get it' but do willingly pay lip service to their host nations as they respect that other races do worship gods. **** There are hidden cults of the Vesperdae that worship the Hive Mind. The typical dread priest sort of deal. ***** Rituals are typically done by opening the mind of a drone to the whispers of the world. ***** It is more accurate to say that the drone starts to echo the subconscious susurrus from all sentient life. Sometimes they whisper hidden secrets. More often it is a low guttural droning. The largest cults have an entire choir filled with these mind broken drones ***** A very well guarded secret is that the drone choirs can be used to communicate over vast distances nearly instantly allowing the cult to coordinate its actions. ***** The cult believes that they can make the hive mind take a physical form and they would live on immortal within it. ***** Cult uses alot of psionics ***** Head priests can mind swap with drones and remotely pilot them making it very hard to stamp out the cult as they priests almost always get away. ****** An order of sentient Warforms exist to do battle with this cult. They are psionic warriors and one of the technics they developed is to by having all warriors plant a larva within a vesperdae host (a captured cultist typically that is rendered braindead) the larva retains all the collective training and loyalty to the cause. Which basically means they are born with a few class levels. *** Insults: **** Roaches: ***** A very nuanced and subtle insult referencing their entomomorphic nature. **** Begger Bugs: ***** Derogatory term for how they must purchase slaves to use as hosts. **** No-Face / Half-Face ***** Referencing the fact that their facial features only partially resemble their hosts. * Military ** Drones rally in defense of what they perceive to be the hive. A household may only have a few drones but would be buglers know to fear drones more than guard dogs as they are far more single minded. ** Drones grow extremely quickly and act as cannon fodder. ** Drones can be equivalent to attack dogs. They are Stats: * Attributes: +2 Dexterity, −2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, ** Vespers are agile in the air and very observant but they are not as hardy and robust as other races. * Type: Monstrous Humanoid, Vermin * Size: Medium * Speed: ** Base land speed for a Vesp is 30 feet ** Fly Speed is 60ft (Average) * Scent: Vesperdae are able to smell using their antenae. * Natural Armor: Vesp have a natural armor bonus to AC of +2 * Multiple Limbs: Vesp have four arms and thus can take the multiweapon fighting feat instead of the two-weapon fighting feat. Vesp can also take the multiattack feat. (These are not bonus feats.) * Claws: 1d4 Natural claw attack with each limb. * Poison Use ' ** ''Paralytic Venom: Injury; save Fort DC 10 + the 1/2 user’s Hit Dice + the user’s Constitution modifier; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Dex; cure 1 save. * 'Light Blindness: ' Abrupt exposure to bright light blinds members of this race for 1 round; on subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area. ** Note, bright light only covers day light and the daylight spell. Most others are normal light. * '''Spiracles: '''Vesps are unable to hold their breath and automatically suffer exposure to any gaseous effects. * '''Weakness: '''Vestigial Hive mind acts as a backdoor to their psyche. -2 to all psionic based will saves. * '''Imprinting: '''Chose one sentient creature from the Ranger's favored enemy table. +2 on all charisma based checks against said creature. * '''Automatic Languages: Common, Vespitrae Bonus Languages: Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Duvel'Cai. * Favored Class: Ranger ** Favored Class Bonus: Calculate level for Animal Companion or Familliar as 1/4 Class level higher (Level of companion cannot pass level of player.) * Note: Need to grant them a +2/+4 skill bonus to Handle Animal due to their predilection towards pets but need to balance it with something or take away something.